The present invention relates in general to data processing systems, and in particular, to a method, system and computer program product for configuring functional capabilities of a computer system comprising a persistent memory and a replaceable functional unit.
Asset protection for replaceable functional units of a computer system (e.g., I/O cards) is usually done using cryptographically protected license records. The license record defines the features (e.g., card personality, number of ports, etc.) paid for by the customer. Cryptographic techniques ensure that the license record cannot be modified. The license record is bound to the card serial number to prevent duplication/re-use on multiple cards. During startup of the computer system, the first license record is validated. Then the serial number of the I/O card is compared to the serial number in the license record to determine whether they match. Finally the I/O card is configured according to the license record (e.g., the number of ports allowed, the I/O card personality, etc.).
A repair of a defective I/O card requires a new license record from the computer system manufacturer due to the replacement I/O card having a different serial number. For client accounts which do not have a connection to computer system manufacturer, thus, the new license record must be transported on media, which might cause an additional repair delay and, consequently, may cause problems with the time window reserved for the repair.